Reviews

Winner of the 2002 Man Booker Prize for Fiction
"Let me tell you a secret: the name of the greatest living writer of the generation born in the sixties is Yann Martel."--"L'Humanite"
"A story to make you believe in the soul-sustaining power of fiction and its human creators, and in the original power of storytellers like Martel." -- Los Angeles Times Book Review
If this century produces a classic work of survival literature, Martel is surely a contender. --The Nation
"Beautifully fantastical and spirited." -- Salon
"Martel displays the clever voice and tremendous storytelling skills of an emerging master." --Publishers Weekly
"[Life of Pi] could renew your faith in the ability of novelists to invest even the most outrageous scenario with plausible life." -- The New York Times Book Review
"Audacious, exhilarating . . . wonderful. The book's middle section might be the most gripping 200 pages in recent Canadian fiction. It also stands up against some of Martel's more obvious influences: Edgar Allen Poe's "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym," the novels of H. G. Wells, certain stretches of "Moby Dick.""--"Quill & Quire "
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Winner of the 2002 Man Booker Prize for Fiction

"Let me tell you a secret: the name of the greatest living writer of the generation born in the sixties is Yann Martel."--"L'Humanite"

"A story to make you believe in the soul-sustaining power of fiction and its human creators, and in the original power of storytellers like Martel." -- Los Angeles Times Book Review
"If this century produces a classic work of survival literature, Martel is surely a contender.'--The Nation
"Beautifully fantastical and spirited." -- Salon

"Martel displays the clever voice and tremendous storytelling skills of an emerging master." --Publishers Weekly

"[Life of Pi] could renew your faith in the ability of novelists to invest even the most outrageous scenario with plausible life." -- The New York Times Book Review

"Audacious, exhilarating . . . wonderful. The book's middle section might be the most gripping 200 pages in recent Canadian fiction. It also stands up against some of Martel's more obvious influences: Edgar Allen Poe's "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym", the novels of H. G. Wells, certain stretches of "Moby Dick"."--"Quill & Quire "

"Yann Martel's "Life of Pi (Canongate) is another reminder of the largely unsung excellence of the Canongate list. The fiercely independent Scottish outfit remains an outpost of rare quality and distinction, and this exceptional understated novel is certainly a worthy addition to its output.... It would not be out of place on a Booker shortlist." -- From "The Bookseller
"In the end, "Life of Pi may not, as its teller promises, persuade readers to believe in God, but it makes a fine argument for the divinity of good art." -- Noel Rieder, "The Gazette (Montreal)
"Martel's latest literary offering, "Life of Pi, is an exquisitely crafted tale that could be described as a castaway adventure story cum allegory." -- "The Gazette (Montreal)
""Life of Pi...is about many things -- religion, zoology, fear -- but most of all, it's about sheer tenacity. Martel has created a funny, wise and highliy original look at what it means to be human." -- "Chatelaine
"In many ways," Life of Pi is a good old-fashioned boy's book full of survival, cannibalism, horror, math and zoology. An impressive marriage of "The Jungle Book with "Lord of the Flies, it's the harrowing coming of age tale of a boy who survives for over a year in a lifeboat with a zebra, an organgutan, an hyena and a Bengal tiger." -- "The Montreal Mirror
"A good story can make you see, understand and believe, and Martel is a very good storyteller. Martel displays an impresive knowledge of language, history, religion and literature, and his writing is filled with details and insights." -- "The Canadian Press
"["Life of Pi] has a buoyant, exotic, insistence reminiscent of Edgar Allen Poe's most Gothic fiction...Odditiesabound and the storytelling is first-rate. Yann Martel has written a novel full of grisly reality, outlandish plot, inventive setting and thought-provoking questions about the value and purpose of fiction. This novel should float." -- "The Edmonton Journal
"I guarantee that you will not be able to put this book down. It is a realistic, gripping story of survival at sea. On one level, the book is a suspenseful adventure story, a demonstration of how extreme need alters a man's character.... On another level, this is a profound meditation on the role of religion in human life and the nature of animals, wild and human. His language...is vivid and striking. His imagination if powerful, his range enormous, his capacity for persuasion almost limitless. I predict that Yann Martel will develop into one of Canada's great writers." -- "The Hamilton Spectator
"[M]artel's writing is so original you might think he wants you to read as if, like a perfect snowflake, no other book had ever had this form.... In Pi one gleans that faith -- one of the most ephemeral emotions, yet crucial whenever life is one the line -- is rooted in the will to live. In any event, when Pi does come to the end of his journey, he has it." -- "National Post
"[A]stounding and beautiful...The book is a pleasure not only for the subtleties of its philosophy but also for its ingenious and surprising story. Martel is a confident, heartfelt artist, and his imagination is cared for in a writing style that is both unmistakable and marvelously reserved. The ending of "Life of Pi...is a show of such sophisticated genius that I could scarcely keep my eyes in my head as I read it." -- "The Vancouver Sun
"A fabulous rompthrough an imagination by turns ecstatic, cunning, despairing and resilient, this novel is an impressive achievement -- "a story that will make you believe in God," as one character says.... This richly patterned work, Martel's second novel, won Canada's 2001 Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction . In it, Martel displays the clever voice and tremendous storytelling skills of an emerging master.
FYI: Booksellers would be wise to advise readers to browse through Martel's introductory note. His captivating honesty about the genesis of his story is almost worth the price of the book itself." -- "Publisher's Weekly "From the Hardcover edition.

Named for a swimming pool in Paris the Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel begins this extraordinary tale as a teenager in India, where his father is a zoo keeper. Deciding to immigrate to Canada, his father sells off most of the zoo animals, electing to bring a few along with the family on their voyage to their new home. But after only a few days out at sea, their rickety vessel encounters a storm. After crew members toss Pi overboard into one of the lifeboats, the ship capsizes. Not long after, to his horror, Pi is joined by Richard Parker, an acquaintance who manages to hoist himself onto the lifeboat from the roiling sea. You would think anyone in Pi's dire straits would welcome the company, but Richard Parker happens to be a 450-pound Bengal tiger. It is hard to imagine a fate more desperate than Pi's: "I was alone and orphaned, in the middle of the Pacific, hanging on to an oar, an adult tiger in front of me, sharks beneath me, a storm raging about me." At first Pi plots to kill Richard Parker. Then he becomes convinced that the tiger's survival is absolutely essential to his own. In this harrowing yet inspiring tale, Martel demonstrates skills so well honed that the story appears to tell itself without drawing attention to the writing. This second novel by the Spanish-born, award-winning author of Self, who now lives in Canada, is highly recommended for all fiction as well as animal and adventure collections. Edward Cone, New York Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Winner of the 2002 Man Booker Prize for Fiction
"Let me tell you a secret: the name of the greatest living writer of the generation born in the sixties is Yann Martel."--"L'Humanite"
"A story to make you believe in the soul-sustaining power of fiction and its human creators, and in the original power of storytellers like Martel." -- Los Angeles Times Book Review
If this century produces a classic work of survival literature, Martel is surely a contender. --The Nation
"Beautifully fantastical and spirited." -- Salon
"Martel displays the clever voice and tremendous storytelling skills of an emerging master." --Publishers Weekly
"[Life of Pi] could renew your faith in the ability of novelists to invest even the most outrageous scenario with plausible life." -- The New York Times Book Review
"Audacious, exhilarating . . . wonderful. The book's middle section might be the most gripping 200 pages in recent Canadian fiction. It also stands up against some of Martel's more obvious influences: Edgar Allen Poe's "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym," the novels of H. G. Wells, certain stretches of "Moby Dick.""--"Quill & Quire "
"
Winner of the 2002 Man Booker Prize for Fiction

"Let me tell you a secret: the name of the greatest living writer of the generation born in the sixties is Yann Martel."--"L'Humanite"

"A story to make you believe in the soul-sustaining power of fiction and its human creators, and in the original power of storytellers like Martel." -- Los Angeles Times Book Review
"If this century produces a classic work of survival literature, Martel is surely a contender.'--The Nation
"Beautifully fantastical and spirited." -- Salon

"Martel displays the clever voice and tremendous storytelling skills of an emerging master." --Publishers Weekly

"[Life of Pi] could renew your faith in the ability of novelists to invest even the most outrageous scenario with plausible life." -- The New York Times Book Review

"Audacious, exhilarating . . . wonderful. The book's middle section might be the most gripping 200 pages in recent Canadian fiction. It also stands up against some of Martel's more obvious influences: Edgar Allen Poe's "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym", the novels of H. G. Wells, certain stretches of "Moby Dick"."--"Quill & Quire "

"Yann Martel's "Life of Pi (Canongate) is another reminder of the largely unsung excellence of the Canongate list. The fiercely independent Scottish outfit remains an outpost of rare quality and distinction, and this exceptional understated novel is certainly a worthy addition to its output.... It would not be out of place on a Booker shortlist." -- From "The Bookseller
"In the end, "Life of Pi may not, as its teller promises, persuade readers to believe in God, but it makes a fine argument for the divinity of good art." -- Noel Rieder, "The Gazette (Montreal)
"Martel's latest literary offering, "Life of Pi, is an exquisitely crafted tale that could be described as a castaway adventure story cum allegory." -- "The Gazette (Montreal)
""Life of Pi...is about many things -- religion, zoology, fear -- but most of all, it's about sheer tenacity. Martel has created a funny, wise and highliy original look at what it means to be human." -- "Chatelaine
"In many ways," Life of Pi is a good old-fashioned boy's book full of survival, cannibalism, horror, math and zoology. An impressive marriage of "The Jungle Book with "Lord of the Flies, it's the harrowing coming of age tale of a boy who survives for over a year in a lifeboat with a zebra, an organgutan, an hyena and a Bengal tiger." -- "The Montreal Mirror
"A good story can make you see, understand and believe, and Martel is a very good storyteller. Martel displays an impresive knowledge of language, history, religion and literature, and his writing is filled with details and insights." -- "The Canadian Press
"["Life of Pi] has a buoyant, exotic, insistence reminiscent of Edgar Allen Poe's most Gothic fiction...Odditiesabound and the storytelling is first-rate. Yann Martel has written a novel full of grisly reality, outlandish plot, inventive setting and thought-provoking questions about the value and purpose of fiction. This novel should float." -- "The Edmonton Journal
"I guarantee that you will not be able to put this book down. It is a realistic, gripping story of survival at sea. On one level, the book is a suspenseful adventure story, a demonstration of how extreme need alters a man's character.... On another level, this is a profound meditation on the role of religion in human life and the nature of animals, wild and human. His language...is vivid and striking. His imagination if powerful, his range enormous, his capacity for persuasion almost limitless. I predict that Yann Martel will develop into one of Canada's great writers." -- "The Hamilton Spectator
"[M]artel's writing is so original you might think he wants you to read as if, like a perfect snowflake, no other book had ever had this form.... In Pi one gleans that faith -- one of the most ephemeral emotions, yet crucial whenever life is one the line -- is rooted in the will to live. In any event, when Pi does come to the end of his journey, he has it." -- "National Post
"[A]stounding and beautiful...The book is a pleasure not only for the subtleties of its philosophy but also for its ingenious and surprising story. Martel is a confident, heartfelt artist, and his imagination is cared for in a writing style that is both unmistakable and marvelously reserved. The ending of "Life of Pi...is a show of such sophisticated genius that I could scarcely keep my eyes in my head as I read it." -- "The Vancouver Sun
"A fabulous rompthrough an imagination by turns ecstatic, cunning, despairing and resilient, this novel is an impressive achievement -- "a story that will make you believe in God," as one character says.... This richly patterned work, Martel's second novel, won Canada's 2001 Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction . In it, Martel displays the clever voice and tremendous storytelling skills of an emerging master.
FYI: Booksellers would be wise to advise readers to browse through Martel's introductory note. His captivating honesty about the genesis of his story is almost worth the price of the book itself." -- "Publisher's Weekly

"From the Hardcover edition.